Saving Flames
by Ziggymia123
Summary: Captain Jack Harkness has had enough. Ianto's death was the final straw. But a beggar woman's interference could just save the greiving captain, and a certain young alien and her family who lives on the planet Ignite. Sequel to Ignis.
1. Chapter 1

***waves cheerfully* Hello there virtual world! Welcome to me story! Now, if you haven't read my other Torchwood story, Ignis, which is the prequel to this, then please go and do so now. If you aleady have, then awesome! Read away! : ) **

**I do not own Torchwood in any way, shape, or form. Also, (and this is a small spoiler) I do not own the incredibly awesome Llewellyn. That is a product of Rachy Babes, and you really should go read her stuff because it's freaking fantastic. **

**Enjoy! : )**

Saving Flames 

Captain Jack Harkness stumbled out of his fifth bar of the night, a sad echo of the man he was merely seven months ago. He didn't really remember where he was, but then again, he didn't really care. He just wanted to be numb. Numb and alone with his grief and guilt. Was that really too much to ask? Was that really too much to hope for? Ianto's death was his fault. That was all on him. And that was the final straw that broke the camel's back. Owen, Tosh, Ianto, Ignis… they were dead because of him, in one way or another. Well Jack was sick of the responsibility. He was sick of having to watch people's backs.

"Coin? Please? Coin?" the begging woman came out of a shadowed alley, almost causing Jack to trip over himself. "Sir, do you have some coin? I can read your fortune in return." Jack shook his head, the world spinning around him as he did so.

"No… No coin," he muttered. The beggar seemed to almost study him for a long moment, her head tilted to one side.

"I shall help you," she told him softly, "You have a bright future, but you need to go somewhere first." It took a while for her words to filter through Jack's alcohol clouded brain. Help him? How would she help him?

"Hey! Let go!" he yelled when she grabbed a hold of his wrist and began fiddling with his broken Vortex manipulator. The woman paid him no attention, her grip too tight for Jack to pull out of. "I said let go!" To his surprise, she did and quickly retreated back into the shadows. Jack stared after her for a minute before stumbling off to the motel he was staying at. He didn't notice the quiet beeping and a small, red light emanating from the manipulator.

* * *

><p>Jack awoke the next morning to harsh sunlight streaming through a half opened window, and a pounding headache. He quickly downed two painkillers from a bottle on his night stand, sighing in relief when the pain immediately subsided. He scrubbed a hand over his face before getting up from the narrow bed. Last night was completely forgotten, not that he really cared. He would repeat the process all over again in a few hours.<p>

Eventually, a quiet beeping made itself known. Jack quickly looked around the room, but didn't see anything that could be the source of the noise. Hell, it almost sounded like a bomb was counting down. He flinched involuntarily, the memory of being exploded still fresh in his mind.

_"I shall help you. You have a bright future, but you must go somewhere first."_

Huh. Did that happen last night? The voice echoed around his voice a few more times, getting louder each time it was repeated.

"Stop it," Jack whispered. The voice paid him no attention.

_"You must go somewhere first."_

"I said, stop it!"

_"Go somewhere first."_

"Stop!"

_"Go…"_

"Where?" the captain finally shouted. The voice didn't answer him. But again, he heard the quiet beeping. He finally looked down at his wrist. The originally red light had turned green overnight, and was beginning to flash. It almost looked like his manipulator had been fixed somehow. There were coordinates and a time stamp already plugged in too. All Jack would have to do is push a button.

Seconds stretched onto minutes stretched onto an hour, and Jack just stood there, studying the damn thing. Those coordinates and time stamp… he had seen them before. They were important to him at one point of his too long life. But he had forgotten what they meant. Were they to the planet Disco, or the plant Geris? One of the Vegas planets or…

"Ignite," Jack realized which was quickly followed by, "Ignis." But no. That was impossible. He couldn't change the course of history! You shouldn't never even try! It never ends well, for anybody, and could have very far reaching consequences. But… It was just so tempting… All he would have to do is press one, little button. After that, he would be gone. And being there didn't exactly mean he would interfere… He didn't want to mess up the timelines after all…

Jack nodded to himself, and smiled softly. It was his first real smile in months. He gently pressed down on the flashing button. Gold Vortex energy immediately began to seep from the space in front of him, twisting around him. Jack squeezed his eyes shut as the energy suddenly yanked him back, and he was gone.

**Review? : )**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hello again! I'm back with another update!**

**A huge thank you to... basically everyone. Yes, even you anonymus person who doesn't have an account here. Thank you for reading, for your favorites, for you alerts, and your reviews! : )**

**I have a definite plan and a plot for this fic. Be afraid. be very afraid. **

**Enjoy! **

The orange sand was hot under Jack's feet, warmed by the six, red suns that streaked overhead. The heat was already causing sweat to bead on his forehead as he studied his surroundings. He was in a desert, the rolling dunes the only thing in sight. He looked down at his now silent manipulator. There was no sign that it was even working in the first place, the wires fried like they always were. Looks like he was getting back home another way. Home. A ghost of a smile twitched at his lips. He had no home. Jack faced one of the suns, and started walking.

Walking. And walking. And walking. And… yes, more walking. Endless walking. Well, at least that's what it felt like. Two days and nights had passed by like the sea of dunes. Jack saw no water, no vegetation, no signs of life. His throat felt like sandpaper, his tongue thick in his parched mouth. He was going to die from dehydration soon. He could feel it. And then, he would come back to life. Again. And again. And again. And again. Until the end of time. And then, who knows what will happen.

On Jack's third night, he finally found something other than sand. Small, spiny green plants began to litter the ground, their vines intertwining through the sand. He dimly recognized them, but it was enough. These plants poisoned their water with a toxin that made the drinker lash out violently at delusions that only existed in the mind. Ghost Callers. That's what those plants were called. They summoned the ghosts from you past, usually the ones you were guilty about. Jack didn't touch the plants.

But someone else was. He could see it in the disturbances in the vines. Someone had cut away the centers of the plants, leaving two feet long holes in their absence. But… that was impossible. Ghost Callers weren't harvested for anything. They were left alone. But whoever it was, they left clear footprints in the sand. Jack must have just missed them. Distantly, he heard young voices, like those of children. The captain thought for sure that he must have been imagining it. Hallucinations brought on by the dehydration. His feet carried him closer to the voices anyway, desperate for any chance there was of water. He made it over only one dune before he collapsed.

* * *

><p>"Agge. What is he? Is he okay? What's happening?" A young boy's voice. But he wasn't speaking English… That language. That was Ignis' native tongue. Jack struggled to open his eyes, but they were just so heavy.<p>

"I don't know, Naah," an older voice said gently. It sounded like a woman. Jack guessed that she was the boy's sister or something. "Hand me some water, okay?" A moment later, a glass was held up to his lips, cool liquid dribbling out of it. Jack drank it greedily, and tried to follow the glass when it was pulled away. "Easy there. You can have some more in a few minutes," the woman told him. Agge. The boy said her name was Agge.

"Thank you," Jack mumbled, his voice strained and cracked. He heard the glass fall and shatter on the floor.

"Naah. Get Father," Agge ordered suddenly. Fear was easy to hear in her voice. "Now!" The running of feet told him that Naah had done what he was told. Jack tried again to open his eyes, or to sit up, but a small hand pushed him back down.

"What? What's going on?" Jack demanded, only to be quickly hushed.

"Quiet!" Agge hissed, "You don't understand, do you?" She muttered something softly under her breath before leaning in closer. "You shouldn't be here," she whispered.

"Agge? What's the matter?" a man's voice positively boomed. Jack really wished that his eyelids would actually open so he wouldn't just lie here helpless.

"We didn't know!" Naah told him. It sounded like he was crying. "We thought he was okay! We're sorry!"

"Oh my Gods…"

"Will someone please tell me what the hell is going on?" Jack snapped, quickly losing his patience. He was ignored.

"Call them." Naah began to cry harder.

"I'm so sorry," Agge whispered, before moving away. His shoulder still felt warm from where she put her hand. "What about-"

"Call them, take your brother, and run," the man ordered, a weariness weighing on his words that wasn't there a minute ago. "I'll stay here."

"No!" Agge protested, "Father!"

"Do it!"

"Come on, Naah." Jack heard the two of them leave the room before the place he was lying on dipped with added weight.

"You brought this curse onto my family," the man told him softly, "You deserve this."

"I didn't mean to do anything," Jack said, "Tell me what is going on. Maybe I can help you."

"No aliens. At least, not in public. No one can know about them. But of course, there are a few rumors that circulate among those of us who actually have a home. You and me? We're going to die. And now my children are fugitives."

"I'm a bit harder to kill than most."

"Then may the Gods help you."

**More interesting people coming up next chapter!**

**Review? : )**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey readers! Thank you for your contiued readership! : ) Is that a word? Hmm... well, I say it's a word. Anyways, this chapter was really hard to write, and I'm not happy with it at all. Hopefully, it isn't too confusing. Because the last chapter was kind fo confusing. It will all make sense soon! I promise! : ) **

**Enjoy! : ) **

Jack opened his eyes just as they came. They moved with cold, brutal efficiency that he could recognize well, detaining him and the Ignitian man within moments. The Ignitian, who Jack only knew as Father, was a tall, well-built man. His body was lean and compact from years of hard work. The only sign of his age was the greying hairs on his otherwise black mop of hair. Deep, orange eyes started blankly at the ground. If he wanted, he could probably have put up one hell of a fight. But the man was still, resigned even. The only other thing that caught Jack's eye was a small photograph sitting on a desk. It must have been taken recently. Father, along with Agge and Naah were smiling up at the camera. They looked happy, like the perfect family. Agge appeared to be in her mid-twenties, with her father's black hair and violently red eyes. Naah looked young, no older than ten, but otherwise identical to his sister. They were all in rag similar to what Ignis was wearing when she first fell through the Rift, but they didn't seem to really care. But the thing that caught Jack's attention the most wasn't the striking resemblance to Ignis. It was the fact that Agge was pregnant. Only a few months along by the captain's estimates. And now she was running.

Jack and Father were herded into a small, black vehicle that hovered silently a few inches off the ground. Night had fallen, making it impossible to see, even with the moonlight illuminating the desert. Jack saw the flames from a pride of fire lions before he was shoved inside. He couldn't see anything, but heard Father beside him, and the sounds of at least three soldiers getting in as well. He had no clue how they could see, but they navigated the space without crashing into anything… purposefully. A boot connected with Jack's face, splitting his lip.

"My apologizes," was the sneer, quickly followed by a kick to the stomach. Jack didn't make a sound, and after a few more blows, they left him alone. Next to him, he could hear Father's whispered prayer to the Gods that his family would be swift and safe. Jack found himself repeating it, even if it was only in his head.

* * *

><p>"What do we got?" the woman's voice was clinical, completely devoid of emotion when the vehicle pulled up to a compound many hours later. And yet… it was vaguely familiar.<p>

"Fifty-first century male human, age, origin, and any… friends unknown, and a sixty-nine year old male Ignitian, with two children, male and female. Female is pregnant," one of the soldiers dutifully replied.

"My family has nothing to do with this," Father growled, catching Jack by surprise. It looked like the Ignitian had some fight in him after all. "They don't know anything."

"Shut up!" Jack turned his head away at the sound of something heavy hitting flesh. The door to the vehicle opened up, blinding light spilling from outside. The dark silhouette of a woman studied the two of them for a long moment.

"I swear, you soldiers are barbarians." She sighed. "But… you do have your uses. Take the Ignitian to the Main Pen. But bring the human to Cell Seven. I wish to study him more closely."

"Very well." Hands grabbed the captain, roughly hauling him to his feet. When his eyes had adjusted to the light, the woman was gone. In her place, was hell. Ignis wasn't lying. He shuddered at the fact that she would have to go here.

_Unless you stop it. _

_Shut up. You know I can't._

_But you want to._

_Shut up. _

Jack was manhandled past rows and rows of cages, filled with every alien species imaginable. And was that Captain John Hart in the corner? He was pulled away before he could see for sure. But regardless of who was prisoner, they were all covered in filth and blood and things jack rather not think about. At least they organized by race. Having a Weevil and a Mayfly in one cell wouldn't turn out well for anyone. But then, the prisoners slowly disappeared, leaving only empty, pristine rooms. Various trays of instruments were pushed up against the walls. No, not musical instruments. Instruments of torture. This should be interesting.

Jack put up no fight as he was strapped down into a chair in a room that had a black seven painted on it. It wouldn't do him any good anyways. He was outnumbered four to one, and they had guns. Sure, they could only kill him, and that might actually be a way out of here, but he was curious. So sue him, he wanted to meet this mystery woman. If she would hurry up and show already.

"You know, it's a very bad idea to keep me waiting. I might get bored!" And then, twenty minutes later,

"Come on! No service. No scenery. Uncomfortable seating… And I can honestly say that I've been in worst places. Sure, I was probably hammered, but I was still there!" He was silent for another ten minutes.

"Hello? Hellooooo? Anyone out there?"

"My God, do you ever shut up?" Jack grinned.

"I thought that was you, John. Where they hell are you?"

"Cell Eight. You?" the rouge Time Agent asked.

"I'm at Seven. Where are we timeline wise?"

"Uhh... I don't know if I can tell you," John called back. "You first." Jack nodded.

"Fair enough. Last time I saw you, it was with Grey." It was silent for a couple ridiculously long minutes.

"Same here. So, uh, Jacky boy. Got any plans to get us out of here?" John asked, and if Jack didn't know any better, he would say that his ex-partner was nervous.

"Working on it."

"Great."

"Shut up." A small sigh caught his attention.

"You know, I was supposed to get soundproof cells here. But the government told me that hearing people scream was more effective. Personally, I disagree. It allows for plans to be made."

"Jack? What is she saying?" John asked him, with a definite nervous edge to his voice. Jack didn't answer him, just frowned as he studied the woman in front of him. The Ignitian was definitely very beautiful. If it was under different circumstances, well… Her pale blonde hair was piled high on her head, held out of the way with a black headband studded with tiny, red stones. Light red eyes looked at him curiously, inspecting him just as much as he was studying her. She wore a long white lab coat with black pants underneath. Every ounce the brilliant scientist. The difference between her and Father was striking.

"You mean to tell me that after all of these years, you still haven't learned their language?" Jack asked, not taking his eyes off her for a second.

"Well, you know me," John told him, "I never did like learning."

"I would be quiet now, Captain Hart," the woman said in perfect English. "Jack and I are going to have a private chat now. Don't worry. Ly will be in to see you in a moment."

"Bloody hell," John whispered, the words just loud enough for Jack to hear. The woman smiled without any warmth.

"Now. Jack. Do you have a last name to go with that?" She had returned to her native tounge.

"Harkness. And it's Captain Jack." She nodded once.

"Pleasure to meet you, Captain Jack Harkness. My name is Doctor Feu Emberline. My government employs me to help fight the alien threat. Basically, I find out what makes you tick. Now, we can do this the easy way, in which you answer my questions, and we kill you painlessly. Or, if you resist in any way, I can make your stay here very, very unpleasant." She knelt down to look him in the eye. "Don't get me wrong. I'm not a bad person. I don't like doing this to aliens. But it's my job. And I won't hesitate to do it." Jack forced a smile.

"Ask away."

**Reviews are life and love.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hello again! A slightly shorter chapter this time around, but I really wanted to get this out before Hurricane Irene decides to pay me a visit. Hopefully I can get a second chapter out for you guys today too! : ) **

**Enjoy! : )**

Doctor Emberline brought a nearby chair over and sat down across from Jack. She smiled at him in what was probably supposed to be a reassuring manner, and pulled out what looked like a tape recorder.

"I know that you can speak our language," she said, "It would be appreciated if you continue to use it. It just makes this process more efficient. Unfortunately, not everyone takes the time to educate themselves." Jack nodded.

"Sure. Why not?"

"Excellent. So. Captain Jack Harkness. Am I to assume that you got your title the same way Captain Hart did? You are a Time Agent, if your Void manipulator is anything to go by."

"Jack. Don't tell that bitch anything!" John warned.

"Captain Hart!" Doctor Emberline said sharply. "Need I remind you of certain consequences?" It was silent for a few moments as she visibly calmed down. "Thank you. Now, Captain Harkness, your answer?"

"An answer for an answer."

"An answer for my continued support and orders against any bodily harm. And I may extend that privilege to our good friend one door over." Jack regarded her for a minute. She wasn't bluffing, that much was clear. And she wasn't worried at all. She was in complete control, completely secure in her position. Logic followed that she could make a good ally, if she stayed true to her word.

"Yes. I got it the same way," Jack told her, "And yes, I was a Time Agent. I got out a long time ago." Doctor Emberline's eyes lit up.

"You got out?" she echoed, "Interesting… What did you do after that?"

"Oh… this and that," Jack said, "Nothing really worth mentioning…" She sighed.

"Captain, we know that you came from Earth, and most recently were there during the early twenty-first century. But, you've been there since the nineteenth century," she admitted, sounded like a disappointed parent, "Previously gathered intelligence tells us that there are various alien intelligence organizations in place, including something called Torchwood. It has quite a history."

"Stop."

"Torchwood One and the Battle of Canary Wharf. That ended rather… badly. Although its reports on someone called the Doctor were quite interesting. I would love to meet him."

"Stop it."

"Torchwood Two is nothing special. Torchwood Four is well… apparently missing, to be found at a later date."

"I said, stop it!" Jack snarled. Doctor Emberline just smiled coldly.

"How many people has Torchwood Three lost, Captain? How many bodies have you had to bury, if you even do that."

"If you know all this, then why are you even talking to me?" he growled.

"This was a control experiment. I wanted to see what I was working with. There are so many differences in the various accounts about you. Is it true that you really can't die?" she asked, and Jack suddenly realized that she loved this part of her job. She loved digging into the scars and opening them up again. A sadistic scientist. His favorite kind.

"Yes."

"And is it true that in twenty Ignitian years, a female Ignitian will show up at Torchwood Three."

"Yes." Doctor Emberline nodded and gracefully stood up.

"Thank you, Captain Harkness. I shall see you again tomorrow," she told him, slipping back into the clinical professional. She turned on her heel, and left without another word.

"Hey John."

"Yeah Jack?"

"I'm still working on that plan."

* * *

><p>Identical weeks passed, the days melding together seamlessly. Wake up in a filthy cell with five other guys, John included. Eat some tasteless slop that was shoved between the bars. Wait for Doctor Emberline to collect someone and bring them to one of the interrogation cells. Answer questions, and if you resisted, a huge Ignitian named Ly would come and start chopping pieces off. Get brought back to the cell. Eat more slop. Plan how to escape. Sleep if you could. Repeat.<p>

Jack had tried to keep track of how many days it had been since he had landed on Ignite, but he lost track after twenty-one days. Then, he tried to keep track of how many days had it been since he had last seen Father. The Ignitian passed his cell every four days or so. He looked worse each time, but would always offer Jack a grim smile. But suddenly, he stopped coming. After eight days, he asked Doctor Emberline what had happened. Father had outgrown his usefulness. He didn't know anything, and his children hadn't responded to any threats on his life. So, he was fed to the fire lions. Literally. Ly had to come into the interrogation session that day.

There was a Blowfish, Matthew, in the next cell over that had an ear for gossip. He always knew when the government changed and how it had happened. Usually, it meant less funding for the compound they were imprisoned in. Doctor Emberline would be on edge for a few days and the questioning would be more intensive. It was then that people (and that term is being used loosely) cooperated happily, telling the good Doctor everything she wanted to know. After a few days of the government changing, whoever was deemed least useful would disappear, never to be seen or heard from again.

John had mentioned in passing on how this was "an evil Torchwood." Matthew had said that this "was worse than getting my planet abducted by Daleks. At least Daleks are honest!" Jack had to side with Ignis though. This place was hell. But there's a way out of hell. There's always a way out. Nothing is impossible to escape from.

Jack gathered everyone in his cell together, and over a few nights, detailed his plan.

"You're bloody insane," John told him with a grin. "Completely insane. And it might just work."

Over the next week, the plan spread to the other cells, carefully advoiding the aliens that were known to report anything to Doctor Emberline. All they needed was the next change in goverenment, and they were set.

**Review? : )**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hello! It's been a bit, I know. Sorry! Writer's block is the bane of my exsistence. But I have defeated it, and hopefully can get better updates! Also, I base a lot of the fire lion stuff on what Rachy Babes writes about them. So that credit is all her. **

**Enjoy! : )**

Whenever Agge couldn't sleep at night, her thoughts would always turn to the alien. When Naah had first found him, they had no idea what would happen. Sure, the alien had looked a little odd, but it was easy to overlook, especially when it was so easy to see that he needed help. The Ghost Caller centers she had gathered so far were forgotten, the woven basket that was their container dropped in the orange sand. At night, Agge would image that she had dragged her younger brother away, and the alien would be nothing more than a bad memory. The two of them would have been at home with their father. The child she was carrying would have a home and wouldn't be constantly threatened. But Agge knew that she wouldn't have been able to do that. Regardless of what the future held, she was glad that they had brought the alien into their home. Sure, at first she had been scared, angry. But now, camping out on the burning plains and looking up at the numerous stars that littered the night sky, she could only hope that the alien would take care of her father.

Agge glanced down at her brother's sleeping form, a small smile tugging at her lips. For once, Naah looked peaceful. These last few months on the run had started to make him furious at the world. In the days it took them to travel from tribe to tribe, he would rage over the injustice of the government. Every new regime gave him a small sense of hope, and it killed Agge to see it die whenever it was proven that every new one was even worse than the last. And it crushed the hope that their father could still be alive a little bit at a time. The news in each tribe was always the same. Alien research funding cut. Mass fires being lit in the desert, with whatever that had been burned being turned to ash. Even if the general public was ignorant of alien life, those who were stupid enough to actually think about what was happening knew.

Agge knew how much they relied on these stupid, stupid people. They were the ones that gave them food, water, shelter. They were the ones that lied to the officials that were searching for them, regardless of the penalty. They were the ones who had kept Agge and Naah alive and free for this long. And Agge was forever grateful. She prayed to the gods daily that their helpful idiots would remain safe. But every once in a while, a rumor would spread about how a whole tribe would completely disappear overnight, usually only a week or so after Agge and Naah had moved on. But the worst part? The time between the two fugitives leaving and the tribes disappearing was getting shorter all the time. So the siblings had decided to stay on the plains longer than they normally would, in the hope that maybe they could get behind their pursuers. That had been about two weeks ago, and they were beginning to run out of supplies. But, that was a matter for the morning. At the moment, sleep was more important.

Agge had only closed her eyes for a few moments when a low growling made her bolt upright. Her baby gave a little kick, as if complaining about the sudden movement. She barely noticed. A fire lion pride was moving through its territory only a few yards away. Agge counted at least thirty different lions, their orange coats reflecting the fires on the plains like miniature suns. The Ignitian held her breath, hoping beyond hope that they wouldn't realize that her family was there. The legends of the fire lions were widely known. Only the brave or stupid tried to tame them, especially those from the wild. There was a habit of the lions turning on their captors before escaping back into the wilderness. The ones that were sold as pets were always cubs. Adult lions were too much of a liability.

After a few minutes that seemed to last and eternity, the last fire lion disappeared into the night. Agge's breath left in a rush as she settled back down. Naah, completely oblivious to what had happened, simply snuggled in closer, attracted to his sister's body heart in the cold night. Agge put an arm around him, and a hand over where she thought her child was. And she stared up at the stars, and thought about the alien.

* * *

><p>That same night, safe and warm in her own apartment, Doctor Feu Emberline was <em>definitely<em> not thinking about the aliens she had under her care. It was pointless. Useless. A complete waste of time. It wasn't like they would be under her care for that much longer. The government had changed once again, and like always, Feu had to decide which aliens weren't worth keeping around. And normally, this wasn't a problem. They were just aliens after all at the very best, and traitors to the nation at the worst. It was normally very easy to hand in her report. Then again, there normally wasn't a ringleader among them.

Captain Jack Harkness.

That one human was screwing up everything Feu had worked so hard to build. She could see it beginning to crumble already. He had somehow managed to convince everyone to not say a word. No matter what happened to them, Feu couldn't coax out one single word. And she had to report it. So every single alien and traitor who didn't say a word would all be condemned and taken to gods knows where and killed. Eight hundred forty one was the number. Eight hundred forty one. It killed her. It literally killed her.

Feu sighed as she cleaned up her dinner. They were planning something. That much she knew. The government might be too blind to see it, but she knew Harkness better than they did. That grin he had given her when she had left that afternoon… That grin. That grin! She left the rest of the food where it was and quickly grabbed her ID card. Fifteen minutes later, she arrived at the compound in time to see the last of the aliens be herded into transport. Harkness, Hart, and the rest of their cellmates were waiting to be directed when she pushed her way over to them. If any of the aliens were surprised to see her, they didn't show it.

"Doctor. I'm sorry but-"

"I need a minute with these prisoners," she interrupted the soldier briskly.

"But-"

"I am your superior, and you will follow my orders."

"Yes Ma'am."

Feu waited for the soldier to move out of ear shot before turning her attention to the staring aliens.

"What do you think you're doing?" she hissed, grabbing Harkness by his shirt to pull him down to her eyelevel. "You can't die. Are you seriously going to sacrifice everyone else so you can get out of here?" Hart was the only other one who heard her.

"Do you really think that, Darling?" he asked with a smirk. That cocky attitude he had when he was first brought here had returned, and Feu suddenly realized that this plot was a bit different then what she had thought.

"Doctor Emberline," Jack said, getting her attention, "You're a smart Ignitian. Think about it."

"I'm sorry, Ma'am, but we really must get going."

Feu nodded silently, and let go of Harkness' shirt. She watched him and Hart get into the transport almost numbly. Hart was still smirking. And now that she actually looked, none of the aliens seemed that concerned. In the past, those condemned to die fought it the whole way. Well, those that still had the will to fight. But even those who did never looked that comfortable. One of them actually gave her a little wave as the door closed. Harkness had told her to think about it. What was she missing?

A pride of at least thirty fire lions appeared on the horizon, stealing her attention. Fire lions. Fire. The government burning the condemned aliens. Harkness telling everyone to be condemned. Eight hundred and forty one. Eight hundred and forty one versus the fifty or so the government would probably assign to kill them. Feu's eyes went wide.

"Oh my gods," she whispered, "That might work."She glanced around her, but none of the soldiers remaining seemed to be paying her any attention. She really should report this, and warn of what was going to happen. She really should. But... she wasn't going to. Anyone who could put this together deserved some measure of respect. Besides, the government could take care of itself. And maybe this way, they'll realize just how big of a threat aliens really are.

Feu returned to her apartment without another word, a small smile on her face.

**Review?**


End file.
